1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to a process for finishing wood slatted articles of furniture, such as chairs, tables and ottomans, for example, for outdoor or indoor use, and, more particularly to a process for staining or coating the article of furniture in a way so as to completely cover the intricate woven slats of the article to provide an aesthetically pleasing, finished appearance that is both decorative and protective.
2. Description of the Related Art
Furniture is often required to be decorative but also functional without being subjected to degradation and becoming obsolete. This is particularly true of wood furniture that requires staining so as to adapt to a myriad of color schemes. The stain is expected to remain even after years of use. Often wood furniture is also desired for outdoor use which requires preservation to protect the furniture from the elements and prevent deterioration. Therefore it is extremely desirable that wood furniture, in particular intricately woven wood furniture, be subjected to finishing processes that provide aesthetic appeal as well as durability. These processes must also be economically feasible and easily tailored to accommodate furniture requiring indoor and/or outdoor applications.
Processes are well known in the art for staining wood and preserving wood from deterioration and microbial attack. These processes range from staining articles made of wood which are subjected to conditions of pressure and temperature to preserve the stain to accelerating drying of coatings and stains by suspending the articles from hooks while spinning the articles at an elevated temperature. Known wood preservation processes include treating the wood with solutions of fungicides and mildicides as well as aqueous salt solutions followed by air drying, heat drying or pressure to provide a barrier against wood degradation and microbial attack.
While the above noted processes refer to wood preservation and finishing, furniture constructed of intricately woven slats of wood requires special attention, in particular, furniture constructed of interwoven bent wood laminate slats arranged in an interlocking lattice structure. Such furniture and the method for manufacturing such furniture is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,486 issued Oct. 13, 1992 to the same assignee as the present application and entitled "Furniture Comprising Laminated Slats and Methods of Manufacturing Such Furniture".
Consequently, a finishing process is desired that provides complete coverage of stains and coatings throughout the crevices formed from the intricately woven design of wood slatted furniture as well as provides protection from degradation and microbial attack when this furniture is required for outdoor use, such as outdoor cafes and patios. Furthermore, this much desired finishing process must be economically feasible while at the same time providing finished products that are both aesthetically appealing and durable.